"The
fruits of philosophy, not the philosophy itself. When we ask the time,
we don't want to know how watches are constructed."—Lichtenberg

3 Parables
04/16/2018

Parable of the Wise Traveler

Three starving, thirsty philosophers were
walking along the trail of life when they came to a major junction
with three roads leading away. One road had a sign that said, THIS WAY
TO THE DESERT WHERE GOLD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS JEWELS ARE
SCATTERED AROUND ABUNDANTLY ON THE DESRT FLOOR. The first philosopher, being somewhat
enamored with the noble metals and precious stones, said to himself
that he had time to find some of these valuables before he found
something to eat and drink. He took this road, going to the desert, and
got caught up in finding so many wonderful specimens that he did not
think in time about drinking and eating. He died a rich man in the
desert.

The second road had a sign that said, THIS WAY TO
LIFE VIA THE MOUNTAIN WHERE THERE ARE MANY UNSURPASSED VIEWS UPON THE WORLD. The
second philosopher, being somewhat enamored with scenery and glorious
vistas, said to himself that he had time to see the magnificent outlooks
before he found food and drink. He took this road, going to the
mountain, and got caught up in enjoying the sweeping panoramas so that
he no longer thought about drinking and eating. He died on the
mountain having seen many wondrous things.

The third road had a sign that said, THIS WAY TO
LIFE WHERE THERE IS FOOD AND DRINK AND GOOD FELLOWSHIP. The third philosopher, being
somewhat enamored with both riches and panoramic vistas, yet said to himself
that he needed to find food and drink in order to stay alive. He took
this road going directly to life and was fed and sustained. Since
taking that road, he is still gathering gold, silver and many fine
jewels, still encountering many fine panoramic vistas, and enjoying many
other fine things.

Let him who has ears hear!

Parable of the Gate

He told them this parable, saying, "Entering the Kingship/Kingdom of
the Heavens is like unto this. A certain man already having searched
his world
over for the truth and not finding, he began to wander away again from
the village. This time in
wandering he soon comes upon a sign put up by the authorities saying,
DANGER: BEYOND THIS POINT THOU SHALT NOT LOOK. But looking anyway he
goes past that sign, and upon passing he turns to see the sign saying
WOE TO YOU WHO HAVE LOOKED TOO HARD. He comes upon another sign saying
DANGER: BEYOND THIS POINT THOU SHALT NOT THINK. Again, thinking more
and thinking further, he goes past that sign and glancing back he sees
WOE TO YOU WHO HAVE THOUGHT TOO MUCH. Coming upon a third sign saying
DANGER: BEYOND THIS POINT THOU SHALT NOT WANT, he again glances back to
see WOE TO YOU WHO HAVE WANTED TOO MUCH. And a fourth sign saying
EXTREME DANGER: BEYOND THIS POINT THOU SHALT NOT GO. Upon going he has
by now learned not to look back, and having passed all these signs he
comes to a huge and high wall with imposing gates. He is uneasy about
the rosy glow coming over the wall when he reads in huge letters over
the gates THE GATES OF HELL—ABANDON HOPE ALL YE WHO RETURN. Upon seeing
the footsteps he girds up his mind, follows them and enters through the gates."

His followers say unto him, "Master Teacher, finish the parable so that
we can understand it." He replied, "What? You do not understand this
parable? How are you going to understand any parable? Nevertheless, I
will finish the parable for you."

"The rosy glow is from the sunrise on a beautiful tropical beach behind
the Guide he is looking at. He does not notice the sign over the gates
reading THE GATES OF HELL—ABANDON HOPE ALL YE WHO ENTER." And the
Master said, "He who understands this parable may understand all the
parables."

Parable of the Two Peaks

And he told them this parable, saying,
"Once there was a very intelligent, sensitive boy born into a village on
the side of a very old and large mountain. Most of this mountain,
including where the village was located, was continuously shrouded in
mist and fog, and no one could ever see the territory around the base of
the mount, nor could they ever even see extensively around the sides of
the mount except in bits and pieces of glimpses.

"Along with being immersed in this cloudiness, the village was most
often uncomfortably cold and damp. The available growing areas were
sloped and the soil was rocky and poor. Of course, the light was also
less than ideal for growing, and the villagers were usually
uncomfortable and sometimes ill and in poor health. Of course, they
worked hard to provide themselves with shelter and techniques to stay as
comfortable as possible.

"There were other villages around the side of this mount at greater or
lesser altitude, but they were all enveloped in the mountain mist and
fog, and had yet a more or less harsh environment. These village
cultures were generally in competition, and the boy's village culture,
though small, considered itself to be significantly better than the
others. The villagers were often reminded of their village superiority,
taught to distrust those of the other cultures, and cautioned to stay
close to the village.

"Since the terrain was steep and challenging and he was able-bodied, the
boy learned to climb, and was encouraged to practice and develop this
skill. As he matured, he became an intrepid climber and climbed in areas
of the mountain that were deemed unsafe. Even though severely warned,
from time to time he ventured into these areas to try to get a better
view.

"As per usual for such a risk-taking climber, at times he fell and
painfully wounded himself; but his injuries were not life threatening
and he was able to recover most of his physical ability and continued to
climb when able. One day while exploring a particular different and
challenging region he experienced a drastic fall and kept tumbling all
the way down to the valley at the base of the mount. His injuries were
severe but barely recoverable, and at least now he was in a different clime,
one that was clear of fog, and warmer with better soil.

"Now, when he looked around, he could see two mountains, the one he had
tumbled from, shrouded in the mysterious fog, and another high mount
that was clear of fog. After a prolonged, painful period of recovery,
he began to climb again and explore the new mountain territory. As he
regained his stamina and ease of movement, the top of the mountain and
the view wherewith beckoned him. At some point there was nothing to do
but scale the peak. As he did so, he found an inner strength and his
climbing ability increased remarkably.

"As he ascended to ever higher altitude, he beheld an unfolding view of
a fabulous land at the base opposed to his old mount. Upon cresting the
pinnacle, resting yet gasping for breath, he could survey enough of the
territory of this fabulous land to understand that this was a good land
as far as the eye could see, vast beyond comprehension. Here was an
uncharted and unoccupied land of rolling hills and lush dales, fertile
meadows along with forests, streams and lakes. Here was where all the
villagers, his own culture and the others, should dwell and thrive. This
was the land of plenty where humanity could flourish in timeless good
health and freedom from danger and want."

As usual, when he told them this parable, they did not understand and
asked him to explain it. His response was, "What?! You don't understand
this parable? How are you going to understand any parable? Nevertheless,
I will explain it.

"The mountains represent two paradigms, and the mountain sides are the spiritual and
intellectual understanding territory of these. The fog represents the
confusion engendered by the effects of sin, the human condition, and the old paradigm, resulting in a lack of being
able to think critically and clearly for seeing the truth. The cold and
dampness represent the discomfort and lack of love and acceptance by the
villagers. The boy's village is a certain fundamentalist denomination of
Christendom and the other villages are the other religions. You can
guess who the boy was. Do you not understand what the fabulous land
represents?"